To Be or not To Be

[Mia]

((forgive the super lame title... >.<;)

Seth pulled into the shopping center with a sigh, cutting off the car and pulling the keys out of the ignition. Stepping out of the car, he stuck his keys in his pocket, after making sure the door was locked, and started on his way into the building.

He was currently shopping for his little sister, Aithne. He hadn't been able to get her all that he wanted to for Christmas, seeing as he'd been short on cash, but Seth just received his paycheck today and decided to splurge on buying his sister stuff. Unfortunately, Seth really didn't know what to get her, he was terrible when it came to shopping for girls. Not wanting to seem like he was lost, as he was, Seth walked over to a random rack of clothes, shifting through them.

[kristay]

Alex yawned as she slung her bag over her bare shoulder; the white sleeve of her shirt moving to rest a little above her elbow. She was glad that she had brought a change of clothes; the weather had become a bit nippy the last few days and she was glad she had at least brought a scarf and jeans to replace her tanktop and shorts. She had just come from dance practice and she was exhausted but also pleased with herself. She had recently been looking for dance partners and was hopeful that she had finally found the right one. His name was Marcus and he was an exceptional dancer; a bit fruity, but his dancing was amazing nonetheless.

She absently slid one hand into her pocket to get her mobile, as her freehand moved to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. She had placed her hair in its customary topknot but her choppy strands were still as stubborn as ever and refused to be tamed. Alex texted her brother Seph, who had taken her car for the day after dropping her off at the studio. She hoped he wasn't doing anything so that he could pick her up and bring her home. She was in need of a hot shower and a nap.

I'm at Macy's; give me a ring if you're here already. Thanks lil bro.

Alex could almost imagine the wince of her younger brother when he read the message. He hated being called little; especially since he was a bit taller than Alex. But he couldn't complain much; the two were pretty close and she had even trusted him enough to give him a copy of her car keys. She smiled softly at the memory as she redeposited her phone into the pocket of her dark skinny jeans before walking into Macy's. Though she didn't really have anything she needed to buy; what with Christmas over and all her gifts bought and distributed, she did feel like there was something she needed to get for herself. What it was, she couldn't remember for the life of her. Probably because it was still a bit early in the day and all she could think about was the last arabesque lift that she had practiced with Marcus.

Moving to one of the racks, she absently looked at each top and sweater, hoping she'd get picked up soon. She really was very tired after all. Alex nibbled thoughtfully on her bottom lip as she moved over to another set of items; picking up a pink knit hat that matched her scarf. "Hmmm..."

[Mia]

Seth was still picking through clothes, still not very sure what to get. With a sigh, he moved a bit to his left, not really paying attention to where he was going, which caused him to slightly bump into the person standing next to him. "Oh, I'm sorry." He muttered, lifting his head to see who he'd bumped into. "Alex?"

[kristay]

Alex set the hat down back in its place before turning sharply and bumping into someone else; effectively making her bag fall to the floor. She bit back a curse as she knelt to pick up her bag and sling it over her shoulder once more. She wanted to turn and glare at the person who did it; it had hurt and she was already sore in the first place from dancing. Geez.

Angry blue eyes glared at the culprit; the look changing into one of surprise when the guy called her by her name. She quirked a brow, a barely there frown on her pretty features as she took a step back so she could really look at him. He was familiar, his hair was a bit shorter but you couldn't not remember those eyes. She bit her lip before smiling softly and then laughing as took a step towards him. "Hey, Seth! I'm not imagining things am I? That really is you?" She wanted to hug him but didn't know if that was allowed or not; especially since they were in a public area. Alex slid her hands into her pockets instead.

Her cheeks flushed as she realized how bedraggled she must have looked to him, having come from practice with her hair in a messy topknot and in her lazy clothes. Alex bit her lip again as she glanced at him again. She would have killed to be anywhere but there at that moment. It wasn't that she didn't like him or miss him-- god no! She just didn't want to look as sloppy as she did at that exact moment, especially not around Seth.

[Mia]

Seth smiled as Alex finally recognized him, reaching out to run a finger gently down her red cheek. "Yeah, it's me, you're not imagining things. Cut my hair but it's me." He chuckled lightly, running a hand through his short hair. He was surprised to see Alex here. He hadn't seen her in so long, and he'd definitely missed her. "How've you been?"

[kristay]

If it was possible for Alex to get any redder, then she would've when he gently touched her cheek. She bit her bottom lip before smiling at him and nodded. "I'm glad." She laughed nervously as she hesitantly reached out to tug on the short strands gently. "I like it; it looks good on you." She pulled away again, a bit embarrassed; for some reason she felt a bit awkward around him. The last time they had seen each other, they were playing tonsil hockey; and that had been a while back. Now, well... She didn't really know what they were. But she did miss him.

It was a bit of a surprise to Alex that she was acting so shy; shy just wasn't in her. Shy was more her twin brother's style but it had never suited her and she found it strange. Maybe it was just because it was Seth she was talking to; was he going to be a constant exception in her life? Probably. She met his gaze again and grinned. "Well I've been good; finally decided on a major... I confess it's a bit odd to be the same year as my little sister and brother in University though." She made a face at the teasing that Xander put her through when she finally enrolled in Physical Therapy. It wasn't dance like she had always wanted but there were no conservatories near Riverside that she could go to. She opted for Physical Therapy instead of Psychology because she could still move and help others regain the movement that they had lost. She was also hoping that it would give her an opportunity to study dance as a healing method as well.

Alex smiled at him and tilted her head, letting a few loose strands of her hair, tilt with the movement. "What about you? How have you been? And how's Aithne? Is she still practicing her dancing?" She quirked a teasing brow at him.

[Mia]

Seth smiled, pushing his hands into his pants pocket. He noticed she seemed nervous around him, or at least something was different. If she was nervous, he couldn't really blame her, he felt a bit nervous himself. After all, the last time they'd seen each other they had been rather close. He wasn't sure if she'd wanted to pick up where they left off, or if they should start all over. "Oh really? That's good. What did you decide on?" He smiled a bit at all the questions she threw at him. "I've been alright. Aithne's good too, she's finally making a few friends, which happens to be at dance class. She's actually getting really good at it." Aithne had improved greatly since he'd met Alex, and part of that was because of her. Aithne had been really impressed by Alex and claimed to want to be just as good when she was older, thus causing her to practice harder. "She really likes you." Seth chuckled lightly. "So, what brings you here?"

[kristay]

Alex grinned, still proud of her decision to take up Physical Therapy; never in her wildest dreams had she ever planned to take up anything in the medical field and yet here she was taking Anatomy 01 and 02 for her first semester in University. Fate really made you do unexpected things; though in the end she was thankful for everything. “Well, I actually decided to major in Physical Therapy; I’m not sure if I can still minor in Psychology. I know PT has a pretty heavy course load…” She had been planning to take up Psychology after all, but now that she was taking up Physical Therapy, the extra load just seemed like a burden that she could no longer take. She still had her dancing to focus on after all. “Not to mention, I’m still dancing a lot… I actually just came from the studio, hence the sloppy attire.” Alex motioned towards her bag and her clothes in a sheepish fashion before grinning once more.

“Wow that’s great! I’m so glad for her; dancing and making friends! That girl is in the right direction!” She laughed softly before meeting Seth’s gaze. “And you? You’ve just been alright? That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun…” Did you miss me? The question hung off the tip of her tongue like the chili aftertaste of eating too much hot sauce. Alex blushed at his compliment and shook her head, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear in an absent fashion. “Oh I’m nothing great; though it’s nice that Aithne has a goal. It’s always better to have a goal to focus on so you won’t get sidetracked so easily.” She blinked at his question and checked her phone to see if her younger brother had replied. No dice. “Well like I said I just got out of the studio and I’m waiting for Seph to pick me up. What about you? Buying female clothes now eh?” She teasingly waggled her eyebrows at him before giggling again.

[Mia]

"Oh, cool. Physical Therapy...do you like it?" He shifted his weight to one foot. "Sloppy? I didn't even notice." Seth teased lightly, grinning himself. He let his eyes travel down her body, before coming back up to her eyes. He knew she would look gorgeous despite what she was wearing. "She is. I'm definitely proud of her. She's always been friendly but it's taken her a long time to fully open up to people." He gave a small shrug. "Yeah. I haven't done anything special." Not since that day... "No, you are definitely something great. I've never seen Aithne take to someone as fast as she did to you." He laughed at her question, shaking his head. "I didn't get a chance to buy Aithne anything for Christmas so I'm doing a little late shopping. Except...I have no idea what to get her."

[kristay]

Alex shifted to her other foot and nodded. "Yeah, I love it! It's really interesting. It takes up a lot of time and is a bit of a pain sometimes but I think it's worth it." She blushed again and teasingly shoved Seth; groaning at the telltale flush on her pale cheeks. He just had that effect on her; Alex wondered vaguely if he knew how powerful a force Seth Moore was to her. She shook her head at his compliments; he really did know how to lay it on thick. Not that she didn't like it or anything.

She met his gaze again and chuckled softly as she reached out to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. She really was a mess, no matter what Seth said. "How can you not know what to get your little sister? That's terrible!" Alex managed to tease as she absently scanned the store; thinking about what Aithne would like. "Well she still goes to dance school right? Maybe a new pair of toe shoes or something she could use?" She shrugged; she was pretty sure Seth had more of an idea than she did about what AIthne liked.

[Mia]

"That's good. You should like what you do." He chuckled when she pushed him, grinning at her blush. He reached out to touch her cheek again, his finger lingering a bit longer this time than before. He wondered if he was the cause for her blushing so much, and smiled at the thought. Seth grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I'm a terrible big brother. It was easier when she was younger because all she wanted was toys but now she'd getting older and liking new things." He nodded at her question, glancing around the school as well. "She's has been wanting a new pair..." He murmured, wondering how he could've forgotten that. I've been working too hard... "Do they sell those here?"

[kristay]

Alex bit her bottom lip when he touched her again; the action made her blurt out words she thought she wasn't brave enough to say. "I've missed you Seth." Her eyes widened at the sudden rush of words that escaped her mouth and she laughed nervously. She turned on her heel to look for the toe shoes and paused, turning to quirk a brow at him. "She's already worn out a pair? No way? Maybe the shank on it wasn't that great though so maybe that's why." She turned back to focus on her quest, asking the nearest salesperson for assistance. At their direction, she managed to find where they sold them and showed them to Seth. She paused as she saw demi-pointe shoes and pointed them out to Seth. "Since Aithne's still a beginner, and probably isn't used to pointwork, she should start with these but if you think she's ready for more pointework then of course get the toe shoes." Talking about dancing related things made her less nervous around Seth and so she continued to yammer on. "Does she have toe pads already?"

[Mia]

Seth gave a tiny smile, she missed him. Her admission spread warmth through his chest, he was glad she'd at least thought of him, and that she'd liked him enough to miss him. "I missed you too." He followed her ask she turned and gave a small smile and a shrug. "I have no idea." He didn't know what she meant, and that only made him feel worse. I need to invest more time in getting to know Aithne's dance... He followed her as she asked the salesperson for help and then frowned at the selection of shoes. He went to grab the first ones she spoke of, and then paused, frowning again. He had no idea if she had toe pads. "I dunno...maybe I should get some just in case." He murmured.

[kristay]

Alex bit her bottom lip to keep from smiling like a loon. She was pretty sure that her smile was now wide enough to break her face. She laughed softly when she turned and saw the sheer confusion on his face. It was understandable though; she remembered her parents trying to understand the different things she had needed when she first started dancing. Now it seemed like clockwork to her but back then it was a completely different story. She took the demi-pointe shoes in her hand and showed it to Seth. "Okay, so these are demi-pointe shoes; basically beginner toe shoes. These are for dancers who aren't very used to pointe work like this." Alex paused and pointed to her feet as she went en pointe, standing gracefully on the tips of her toes before coming back down.

"These shoes are usually used to train dancers to get used to the feeling of that and to strengthen their ankles. It feels like a real toe-shoe because it has the toe box but it has enough support for training them." Alex smiled softly as she set the shoes down and picked up the pointe shoes this time. "These are toe shoes and these are what dancers use when they're used to pointework already." She grabbed a box of toe pads and showed them to Seth. "Usually, even when the toe shoes are broken in, they still feel uncomfortable so we wear these to make them feel better. I dunno how well Aithne is at dancing now." It had been a couple of months since their last meeting. "But I suggest the demi-pointe shoes. Though you need a fit for her unless you know her size."

[Mia]

Seth nodded as she explained everything to him, biting his lip as he thought. "I think she may still need the demi-pointe." He didn't think she could stand on her toes just yet. "Are the sizes the same as regular shoes?" He was really glad, and relieved that he'd run into Alex here. Not only had he missed her, but he would've had no idea what to get his sister otherwise. He probably would've just gotten her some clothes or something, not that she needed any more at this point. Clothes were just his fallback plan if he couldn't find something else, which was often the case. "If they are, then I know her size. If not then...do I have to bring her in for a fitting? I kinda wanted it to be a surprise."